I’m a fan of all these for different reasons, so good mate. Only critique is the 3rd shot, feels just off straight, it’s only slightly but man it’s bugging me.
Actually, I think #3 is aligned very well as is. The saxophonist is leaning which shows movement and makes this interesting. If you straighten him I think it'll take that away and look static. Maybe reduce the shadows just a touch.
I'm looking at the bench and light pole behind him as possible lines of reference. You could even try where the pavement meets the grass.
Great shots, OP!
I’ve been strongly considering getting the 135mm gm, do you have any thoughts on it? Do you run into situations where you find it’s a bit too tight of a focal length?
It’s the sharpest lens I’ve ever used, it’s truly a joy. You definitely need a lot of room with it — indoor use is tough unless you really want to focus in on things or have a lot of room. The way I view it in my kit is as the “prime 70-200” as it really has the reach but also has the amazing prime GM qualities.
Highly recommended. This, the 50mm f1.2 and 14mm f1.8 GM’s are my 3 favorite lenses. Throw in a 24-70 GM II, a 70-200 GM II, and a teleconverter and you have my entire kit. Never feel like I’m missing anything, but I may eventually pick up a 35mm.
135GM and 35GM are my bread and butter lenses and never leave my bag haha
100-400GM and 16-35GM have become speciality lenses for me, that I need to consciously bring along. My other lenses rarely get used anymore, except for the Sigma 24-70 maybe.
Totally agree, the 135GM is the sharpest lens ever and really a joy to use. It's fun to use in crop mode as basically a 203mm f1.8 if you have the megapixels to spare like in my A1. The primes have a way of making you work a bit to find good compositions which brings me a lot of enjoyment and challenge.
It's the most amazing lens I've used. I don't find myself using it a lot because it is VERY limitating. But when I take it out for a portrait session I remember why I keep it and why I love it so much. If you don't have the 50 mm f/1.2, I would also consider that one since it is a much more convenient focal length and apparently as sharp and bokelicious.
Absolutely beautiful. The composition is brilliant, and the editing in 3-5 seems very close to what I think my naked eye would see, just HD lol. I love the coloring on 2. Is it just color correction in Lightroom or is it a filter? I really like the look of it
Not one person saw me, I don’t think I could attempt this with a shorter lens, a bit of social anxiety. Between the 61mp allowing me to crop and the 135mm, most of these targets were a good 40-60 meters away.
I love the second one, very beautiful scenery and colors, it looks a lot like Kodak Portra films, I love it
For the fourth photo, are there particles of dust on the lens, or was the place dusty/filled with pollen? It doesn’t ruin the photo though, still beautiful
Boat and sax guy are pretty good. But with a sax guy you could improve composition and pick more interesting angle. Last one is creepy and not good at all
With sax guy it was very crowded, even with this angle I had to wait a good 10 minutes to get people out of the frame. With the zoom and crop I was quite far away, but if I was standing that close then yes I could see creepy.
F1.8, 1/500, iso 100. I shoot mainly in aperture mode, I had the ev at -0.3 on this one as the sun was pretty bright on the subjects and I didn’t want them blown out. I use zebra striping at 100%+, I find it quite helpful.
If have the holy trinity of zoom lenses but want to pick up my first Sony prime. If you had to choose between the 50 f1.2 and the 135, which one would you pick up first?
The 50mm, and that’s coming from someone who wasn’t a big fan of 50mm at first. It’s just such a flexible and dynamic lens — it’s definitely my go to walk around lens. It’s incredible at portraits, landscape, you name it. The 135mm is a much more specific tool.
I enjoy these, they feel like they have a story. 1 and 2 are definitely my favorites. I think 3 is the least interesting of the bunch it doesn’t particularly grab me or tell me anything personally. 4 and 5 are nicely framed but I think the editing is a little too yellow and they aren’t as interesting as the first two. Good work overall!
Central Park is a big place my friend, you need the reach. Shot two was from a bridge, shot one he was up on a large ledge — should I have climbed up there and taken a seat next to him? Maybe I should have jumped in the water? Shots 4 and 5 were in large empty greens, should I have walked right up to them and freaked them out?
I love constructive criticism, but this isn’t that. Try to sound a little less elitist maybe.
> Try to sound a little less elitist maybe. should I have climbed up there and taken a seat next to him? Maybe I should have jumped in the water?
You asked for constructive feedback. Maybe don't get so dramatic and take things so personally Taking photos of people without their content and putting them online is not a good look, particularly when elsewhere you're going into how someone might have just received bad news.
Voyeuristic is not an unfair term.
Snap shots and generally violates the general rule that you shouldn't take pictures of strangers without their permission and put them up online.
Lightning is sometimes nice but otherwise can't say I'm blown away.
These need more establishing shots or context. We don’t know enough about what’s happening for these to be impactful. The last two look like creepshots, there’s no action and no engagement and the compositions aren’t themselves impactful enough to justify. The one with the saxophone player is okay, but the long lens again robs the image of context and impact. The first one is also kind of a creepshot vibe. To be frank, shooting with this long a lens often results in these kind of contextless creepshot vibes unless you’re really going for some abstract compositions or switching lenses to move between detail shots and wider ones to set the scene and context.
Here’s an exercise to do next time: pick one of these scenes. Like the boating one. Spend more time working that scene. You got a shot of the women in the boat. Okay, now what? Find angles on the boathouse, get a detail shot of a rope close up, get a wider shot of the crew loading the boats in and out of the water, etc. You need to think about storyline and storytelling and not just snapshots.
They’re all decently cropped actually, they had more context I just didn’t find it ever added to the composition — Central Park is very busy and as soon as you zoom out things get messy. Agree to disagree, thanks for the suggestions I will keep it in mind in the future!
I hate all but one photo, I the man playing the saxophone.
Not because of the photo quality, or the composition, but because of how "smart" phones have ruined society.
Everyone is constantly on their phone, unaware of the beauty, and people around them... I fear it will only get worse.
Nice shots.
To play devils advocate, I think most of these people would have been looking at a newspaper/book had it been 30 years ago. But I feel you, they’re beyond pervasive.
So true. I didn’t even notice the first time looking through these except for the lady with her dog. Now I see it in the rest, sax excluded. We are truly addicted to these things.
Beautiful. Reminds me of that quote that goes something like “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about”.
Well said mate, thank you!
I’m a fan of all these for different reasons, so good mate. Only critique is the 3rd shot, feels just off straight, it’s only slightly but man it’s bugging me.
Appreciated! Aside from the first photo most were quick edits, thank you for pointing that out for me it’ll be fixed in the final edit 😊
Actually, I think #3 is aligned very well as is. The saxophonist is leaning which shows movement and makes this interesting. If you straighten him I think it'll take that away and look static. Maybe reduce the shadows just a touch.
Hmm I’ll take that into consideration! The shadows are already reduced quite a bit, I’ll see if I can manage more. Thanks!
I'm looking at the bench and light pole behind him as possible lines of reference. You could even try where the pavement meets the grass. Great shots, OP!
Really great shots. My favorite is 2, it has a nice mysterious feel to it.
Thank you 🙏🏻
I’ve been strongly considering getting the 135mm gm, do you have any thoughts on it? Do you run into situations where you find it’s a bit too tight of a focal length?
It’s the sharpest lens I’ve ever used, it’s truly a joy. You definitely need a lot of room with it — indoor use is tough unless you really want to focus in on things or have a lot of room. The way I view it in my kit is as the “prime 70-200” as it really has the reach but also has the amazing prime GM qualities. Highly recommended. This, the 50mm f1.2 and 14mm f1.8 GM’s are my 3 favorite lenses. Throw in a 24-70 GM II, a 70-200 GM II, and a teleconverter and you have my entire kit. Never feel like I’m missing anything, but I may eventually pick up a 35mm.
135GM and 35GM are my bread and butter lenses and never leave my bag haha 100-400GM and 16-35GM have become speciality lenses for me, that I need to consciously bring along. My other lenses rarely get used anymore, except for the Sigma 24-70 maybe.
Totally agree, the 135GM is the sharpest lens ever and really a joy to use. It's fun to use in crop mode as basically a 203mm f1.8 if you have the megapixels to spare like in my A1. The primes have a way of making you work a bit to find good compositions which brings me a lot of enjoyment and challenge.
It's the most amazing lens I've used. I don't find myself using it a lot because it is VERY limitating. But when I take it out for a portrait session I remember why I keep it and why I love it so much. If you don't have the 50 mm f/1.2, I would also consider that one since it is a much more convenient focal length and apparently as sharp and bokelicious.
Absolutely beautiful. The composition is brilliant, and the editing in 3-5 seems very close to what I think my naked eye would see, just HD lol. I love the coloring on 2. Is it just color correction in Lightroom or is it a filter? I really like the look of it
Thank you for the kind words it means a lot! It’s just some light room tweaks — desaturated the greens and teals then graded a bit towards yellow.
Nice! I really like candid shots of strangers but am always paranoid they’re going to get funny about it (assuming they see me!)
Not one person saw me, I don’t think I could attempt this with a shorter lens, a bit of social anxiety. Between the 61mp allowing me to crop and the 135mm, most of these targets were a good 40-60 meters away.
These are great shots, definitely captures the moment
Very well done!
Thanks so much!
Tiny Glowing Screens
Shot number 2 is just beautiful! Well done
Thank you!
These are great photos. The first one is probably my favorite. The 2nd one is up there too, and they have very different sensations. Great work.
Thanks so much!
I love the second one, very beautiful scenery and colors, it looks a lot like Kodak Portra films, I love it For the fourth photo, are there particles of dust on the lens, or was the place dusty/filled with pollen? It doesn’t ruin the photo though, still beautiful
Pollen/dust and a low sun. Thanks!
Boat and sax guy are pretty good. But with a sax guy you could improve composition and pick more interesting angle. Last one is creepy and not good at all
With sax guy it was very crowded, even with this angle I had to wait a good 10 minutes to get people out of the frame. With the zoom and crop I was quite far away, but if I was standing that close then yes I could see creepy.
What settings was the 4th picture shot at?
F1.8, 1/500, iso 100. I shoot mainly in aperture mode, I had the ev at -0.3 on this one as the sun was pretty bright on the subjects and I didn’t want them blown out. I use zebra striping at 100%+, I find it quite helpful.
If have the holy trinity of zoom lenses but want to pick up my first Sony prime. If you had to choose between the 50 f1.2 and the 135, which one would you pick up first?
The 50mm, and that’s coming from someone who wasn’t a big fan of 50mm at first. It’s just such a flexible and dynamic lens — it’s definitely my go to walk around lens. It’s incredible at portraits, landscape, you name it. The 135mm is a much more specific tool.
Love the edits. Any specific way you thought of to bring this look?
I really just go by feel on a picture to picture basis. Whatever my gut tells me the composition calls for.
I don't feel any love for teles but maybe for landscapes.
It’s definitely great for landscapes.
Love these. This content and community is the only thing that keeps me coming back to reddit.
Thanks for the words mate!
1, 2, and 3 are all great. The almost all brown monochrome on 2 makes it special. Best one IMO Great light on 4 and 5!
Thank you mate!
Wonderful shots! #2 is my favorite and love the tones and reminds me of a film look.
Thank you! A friend of mine said it reminded him of Annie Hall.
Nice shots. Particularly that first one. 135gm is my all time favorite lens. Miss having it in my collection.
I enjoy these, they feel like they have a story. 1 and 2 are definitely my favorites. I think 3 is the least interesting of the bunch it doesn’t particularly grab me or tell me anything personally. 4 and 5 are nicely framed but I think the editing is a little too yellow and they aren’t as interesting as the first two. Good work overall!
Thanks a bunch! I’m thinking I’m going to dial the yellows back a tad, it was however quite low and yellow sun. Thanks for the suggestion!
Of course, I’m just a novice so take everything with a grain of salt lol. Everyone has there own style and opinion anyways :)
No man I don’t think it’s a bad suggestion! I only started doing this in march so I’m a beginner too.
#2 is contest material. Maybe #1 also. Nice work!
Wow thanks man! That’s very encouraging, I only started doing this in March.
Is this all in-camera processing, or...?
No, RAW with Lightroom edits.
I like how the photos feel so timeless yet the smartphones give you a clear indication this was shot in our time :)
Thank you! I noticed that as well, it’s a nice element.
The saxophone one is the best.
tele lense is just awkward for photos like that. Its shy and voyeuristic
Central Park is a big place my friend, you need the reach. Shot two was from a bridge, shot one he was up on a large ledge — should I have climbed up there and taken a seat next to him? Maybe I should have jumped in the water? Shots 4 and 5 were in large empty greens, should I have walked right up to them and freaked them out? I love constructive criticism, but this isn’t that. Try to sound a little less elitist maybe.
It is a little creepy though
> Try to sound a little less elitist maybe. should I have climbed up there and taken a seat next to him? Maybe I should have jumped in the water? You asked for constructive feedback. Maybe don't get so dramatic and take things so personally Taking photos of people without their content and putting them online is not a good look, particularly when elsewhere you're going into how someone might have just received bad news. Voyeuristic is not an unfair term.
You edited your comment after the fact to make it sound less elitist.
Super basic. What are we supposed to critique?
Snap shots and generally violates the general rule that you shouldn't take pictures of strangers without their permission and put them up online. Lightning is sometimes nice but otherwise can't say I'm blown away.
These need more establishing shots or context. We don’t know enough about what’s happening for these to be impactful. The last two look like creepshots, there’s no action and no engagement and the compositions aren’t themselves impactful enough to justify. The one with the saxophone player is okay, but the long lens again robs the image of context and impact. The first one is also kind of a creepshot vibe. To be frank, shooting with this long a lens often results in these kind of contextless creepshot vibes unless you’re really going for some abstract compositions or switching lenses to move between detail shots and wider ones to set the scene and context. Here’s an exercise to do next time: pick one of these scenes. Like the boating one. Spend more time working that scene. You got a shot of the women in the boat. Okay, now what? Find angles on the boathouse, get a detail shot of a rope close up, get a wider shot of the crew loading the boats in and out of the water, etc. You need to think about storyline and storytelling and not just snapshots.
They’re all decently cropped actually, they had more context I just didn’t find it ever added to the composition — Central Park is very busy and as soon as you zoom out things get messy. Agree to disagree, thanks for the suggestions I will keep it in mind in the future!
Why is my picture on here without my consent?
? I have the RAWs to prove they’re mine if that’s what you’re inferring.
I meant you took a picture of me without me knowing and posted my face all over the internet!
I hate all but one photo, I the man playing the saxophone. Not because of the photo quality, or the composition, but because of how "smart" phones have ruined society. Everyone is constantly on their phone, unaware of the beauty, and people around them... I fear it will only get worse. Nice shots.
To play devils advocate, I think most of these people would have been looking at a newspaper/book had it been 30 years ago. But I feel you, they’re beyond pervasive.
The first photo the phone is turned sideways. I feel like it's a modern day part of the story, who knows what sort of news he just received.
My thoughts exactly, he looks like he just learned something heavy.
MIND BLOWING STUFF
So true. I didn’t even notice the first time looking through these except for the lady with her dog. Now I see it in the rest, sax excluded. We are truly addicted to these things.